The Bulldog Beat

How Will You Spend Your Summer ?

salbarez — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 13:54:33 +0000

When you hear the words summer camp what comes to mind? To some, summer camp is a happy place; for others it’s not even an option. IHS junior Corey Shattuck said, “I think of fun activities and being able to meet new people.” Another IHS junior Harley Schaefer said, “I think of boring.” With many options for camp you have to look at all the possibilities and take them all into account. There are camps based on robotics, leadership,and even whale camp. When thinking about summer camp, you have to think about how far away you want to go. Locations of camps rage anywhere from our hometown, across the countr,y and even overseas.

According to experts, summer camps are not only a great way to meet new people, but learn new skills. There is a summer camp solely based on building leadership skills. For the most part, no matter what camp you go to, you are able to improve your teamwork and problem solving skills. Summer camp is a great way, not only younger kids, but teenagers also. Shattuck said, “If I could go to camp with friends I would go.”

Summer camp is not only a great way to meet new people and stay busy, but it’s a great way to build on learning skills. When asked what she thought the best part of summer camp would be, Schaefer’s response was, “Being with friends.” Most summer camp activities are outdoor based. Therefore you get to exercise and have fun with your friends at the same time.

Photo courtesy of www.easternshoreparents.com

Social Society Sometimes Stinks

jleforge — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 13:51:54 +0000

Teenagers are social people; It’s pretty much a fact of life. Teens are often spilling their guts out via text, Facebook, Twitter, or Tumblr. They’ve always got a lot going on, so they’re not always able to tell their friends things in person. This social obsession can be a good thing on vacation or when you want to talk to far-away friends, but at some point, it becomes irritating.

Instagram, the photo-sharing app that’s becoming America’s favorite social network, was released in April 2012. The app, which allows you to take a picture, filter it, and post it for all of your friends to see, became a phenomenon. Klae Courter, 15, said “I think Instagram is an incredible app, but users go overboard with the application.” Users can post their pictures to Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr, and tag their pictures with hashtags similar to Twitter. The app’s logo invokes a return to the retro instant photographs provided by old Polaroid cameras. The app’s simplicity and instant sharing made it to the free app charts on the Apple App Store and Google Play. To add to its already huge popularity, the app was acquired recently by Facebook, making it easier for users to share photos on Facebook.

Cell phone etiquette is often abandoned in our generation, no thanks to social networking. Dinner at Applebee’s doesn’t require a text every five seconds, so why should we use our phones to take a picture of our stir-fry? The noodles may taste delicious, but trust me, not everyone on Instagram needs to see your meal. You can wait and text everyone about it afterward. Emily Allen, 15, said “I see at least 20 photos a day of teenager’s meals, it’s really annoying.” Just as there are Facebook and Twitter addicts, there are Instagram addicts too, sadly.

These are the people who take a dozen self photos before first period, two pictures of their lunch, and several more before the sun sets. Some think that adding a photo limit to Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Etc. would be a good idea, making it so that you could only post a set amount of photos a day at max. Emily Allen, 15, said “The idea of a limited amount of photos shared is a great idea. I’m tired of seeing 40 photos a day of one person, or one person’s meal.” Many others think that it’d be a good experiment, just like Twitter has a limited amount of characters you can use in one story.

Instagram has recently became very popular

Seminar Provides Many Benefits for Students

Michael Ferris — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 13:45:43 +0000

A new way to meet friends and get academic support has emerged in Ionia High School. This is called seminar and it is held every Friday. Classes are held for 20 minutes, with students getting assigned to a particular teacher, based on the alphabetical order of their last name. Seminar gives the opportunity for teachers to focus on a smaller group of students and it gives students a new way to interact with their teachers. Teachers check your grades, attendance, and try to motivate all of their students to do better through building relationships.

“I like how I get to meet new people and a new teacher,” said junior Mike Dick, “Also it’s time I get to use on homework.” Many students in the school can benefit from seminar in a number of ways. Benefits include making new friends, working on your social skills, working on homework, and getting a new mentor in your life. Some students may not have all of the support they need, so their seminar teacher can be the motivator in their life. This support could include making sure their grades are up and they have good attendance.

“Seminar was created to allow teachers to connect with students,” said Assistant Principal Mr. Knapp. ”It gives them time to help struggling students one-on-one,” Knapp continued. Administration has received feedback from students and teachers, saying they enjoy seminar and they want it to continue. “We will definitely continue seminar next year, still probably just one day a week, but eventually we want to hold it more often,” stated Mr. Knapp.

Students in Mr. Marion's seminar class use their time wisely to study.

Surprise in the Barn

Demi Youngstrom — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 13:42:46 +0000

                Mr. Griffith’s Plant and Animal Science class had some exciting news when they returned from spring break Monday, April 8. ‘Big Mama’, a 600 pound pig gave birth to 11 piglets that morning. The AM heartlands class got to witness them being born. “It’s a great experience and hands on activity for the students,” Mr. Griffith said. This is the seventh year the class has bred pigs.
                The PM class didn’t get to see the piglets being born, but were still in amazement of all of them. The next day, when the piglets were just a day old, they were given their immunization and iron shots. The students also got to cut their needle teeth. The needle teeth need to be removed early in life so they can’t bite and hurt another animals, inlcuding their mother. A few days after that, the pigs’ tails were docked and their ears were notched. The students also participated in that after a demonstration by Carl Simmons, the owner of Big Mama.
                “It was really cool getting to witness this stuff,” junior Madison Finch said, “it’s something I never would have seen if I didn’t take this class.” Throughout the year, the class raises a number of animals including chickens, pigs, and pheasants. They also go to multiple FFA contests throughout the state. Some students choose to attend the national FFA convention in the fall to showcase the things they learned in FFA and Plant and Animal Science class.

'Big Mama' gave birth to 11 piglets Monday, April 8

Seniors Say Goodbye

Hanna Melvin — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 13:38:58 +0000

School is dwindling down, and summer break is almost here. For all of the juniors, sophomores and freshman we still have school to look forward to next year, but as for the seniors, this is their final goodbye to IHS as a student.

For the seniors, they have endured high school longer than any of the other students. Seniors have been there for us throughout high school and will be missed by many. “The seniors leaving will be a bitter sweet time because many of them are part of my band family, but I’m happy that they are moving on because they all will make good people out of themselves,” sophomore Jenna Christiansen said.

“I will miss all the people that I have met throughout the years. It kind of hurts to say goodbye,” said by Senior Katie DenHouten. This is the final week of school for the seniors so many are rushing to get last minute work in. The school won’t be the same without seniors here. “The school will definitely be quieter because there will be fewer students and the halls will be less crowded,” Jenna Christiansen said. That means it will be easier for everyone else to get to their classes. No more pushing your way through the halls. But the seniors will be missed. “A lot of the seniors have been there for me when I needed someone and made high school enjoyable,” said Jenna Christiansen.

We never think about how it actually feels to not be in school. We wait and wait for the day to come but when it finally comes and goes you realize how fun school was. “To all the seniors: good luck on your journey through life and live life to the fullest,” Christiansen said. Graduating high school seems like such a small part in life but in reality it’s big and exciting. Good luck to you seniors.

Screen Addicts

Andi Hawley — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 13:34:32 +0000

Did you know that youngsters spend an average of one hour and 50 minutes online, and two hours and 40 minutes in front of the television every day? As sad as it sounds, it’s true. Children spend more time on electronics in one day than they spend exercising in one week.

Mrs. Beckemeyer, IHS business teacher, says, “I hate to say it, but it’s disturbing. There are so many more health problems developing early in their lives; they’re beginning to lack social skills.” The internet and television are being taken for granted; screens are increasingly being used as electric babysitters. Young people are spending more time plugged in than ever.

So if this amount of time on the internet is unacceptable, then how much time is acceptable? Who is to blame for this behavior? Some feel it is the parents’ fault. This is very true because kids usually come home from school and watch their favorite television program rather than playing outside. Brianna Parks, IHS senior, says, “Their parents don’t know what’s going on while they’re surfing the web, they could be getting bullied or seeing inappropriate things.”

According to aacap.org, ninety-seven percent of kids between the ages of 11 and 16 have their own mobile device. With all of this new technology coming out, children don’t want to play a game of kick ball like they use to do. Parks also says, “The new technology is potentially ruining their childhood because they don’t have an imagination anymore, they have no interest in playing an imaginary game of cops and robbers. Some children know more about the internet than their parents do!” With the click of a mouse, kids can enter a different world where the problems of their real life are no longer present, and all the things one wishes he or she could be or experience are possible.

Many students at IHS have more than one multimedia device

Mosquito Madness

Jennifer Hamel — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 13:26:13 +0000

Due to the flood Ionia had in 2013, mosquitoes have found a new home to lay their eggs. All of the water attracts the female mosquitoes for a place to lay their eggs. Male mosquitoes only feed off of plants. Therefore, you are always getting bit by females. Mosquitoes can detect carbon dioxide from 75 feet away, which is why you get swarmed and bitten by female mosquitoes.

The world would be such a nicer place without mosquitoes, well for humans at least. “Any organism that eats mosquitoes will have a harder time finding food, for example spiders,” states Ms. Clark a science teacher at IHS. Kaitlynn Smith, an IHS senior says, “You wouldn’t get attacked by mosquitoes when you go outside, and risk getting a disease.” Is there a positive to having mosquitoes?

It’s hard to try and find one good thing about mosquitoes. “They provide food for other organisms and help balance the food chain,” adds Ms. Clark. Mosquitoes probably get eaten a lot because of how slow they are. Mosquitoes can only fly at a maximum of one and a half miles an hour, but they live up to six months. The factors sadly balance each other out. “I just want to get rid of them all,” says Smith. Just remember when you hear a buzzing mosquito around you, it’s just another one of the girls.

Photo courtesy of www.sodahead.com

Field, Flour, Fight

Jenna Christiansen — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 13:23:10 +0000

Let’s flour bomb Viet Cong! If you, as an Ionia High School student, take Mr. Cairns’ American history class or AP United States history class during the third trimester, you will be able to reenact the 1959-1975 war between Viet Cong and the United States of America. When reenacting the war, the class uses flour bombs they made at home the night before. This reenactment is a mixture of capture the flag, hide and go seek, and tag, but with flour bombs. The boundaries lie between the field and the woods behind the high school.

The lesson behind the whole reenactment is to show the difficulties of the war. “How tricky it was to handle the VC when your fighting ability is limited because you’re hot, get pricked by thorns, run on bumpy ground, etc.,” stated Mr. Cairns, Ionia High School history teacher. With this, Cairns believes the students will actually realize the limits and environmental barriers they were forced to face when fighting to save our country.

Madison De Laney, a high school student who participated in this reenactment, said she believed the lesson to be to show how it was like during Vietnam. The intention of the activity is to teach the students some of the hardships and is not intended to disrespect the hardships the veterans had faced.

“I found it more educational and fun because we were interacting and not reading from a book,” stated De Laney. The majority of the students who participated said they found this activity educational, but a lot of fun as well.

“It was educational because I realized what an actual war could be like and fun because you get flour thrown at you,” said Cierra Smith, an Ionia High School sophomore, who participated as well in the flour bomb war. There aren’t many downfalls of this activity, but make sure you wear pants. Prepare, strategize, learn, and have fun.

Students from Mr. Cairns' class participate in a flour bomb war every year.

IHS Woodshop Students Showcase Skills at MITES

Demi Youngstrom — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 13:18:57 +0000

The annual Mites competition (Michigan Industrial & Technology Education Society) competition is among the many competitions for woodshop classes in Michigan. This year, 16 kids from IHS entered their projects into regionals in Coopersville on May 3. From then on, 11 students advanced to states which were held on May 10 at Central Michigan University. IHS woodshop teacher, Mr. Keson, drove the individuals to both places using the school’s expedition.

“My favorite part about the competition was seeing my students do great,” Mr. Keson said, “and take away new methods to apply to future projects.” In addition to the competition, seven students also participated in a community service project. The students made pens and sent them to soldiers so they would be able to write home as often as they wanted.

The students were very successful at the MITES competition this year and made Mr. Keson very proud. The positions in the state contest were one per category. “I am looking forward to next year and seeing my students apply what they learned,” Keson said. The projects are on display in the administration wing. Take a look, and congratulate the woodshop class with their successes!

The students who competed in regionals and states are as follows,

State Honorable Mention and Regional 1st Caleb Merryfield – Picture Frame
State Honorable Mention and Regional 1st Caleb Merryfield – Mallet
State Honorable Mention and Regional 2nd Bryan McKendry – Heart Box
State 10th place and Regional 2nd Parker Sawdy – Table
State 4th place and Regional 2nd Conner Arnold – Lamp
State Honorable Mention and Regional 2nd Robert Sinkler-Gray – Table
State Honorable Mention and Regional 3rd Brian Carmoney – Cabinet
State Honorable Mention and Regional 3rd Conner Hyland – Table
State Honorable Mention and Regional 3rd Justin Miller – Music Stand
State Honorable Mention and Regional 4th Bryan Holton – Table
State Honorable Mention and Regional 4th Brianna Thurlby – End Table
Regional 5th Kipp Hartman – Table
Regional 5th Grace Guernsey – End Table
Regional 6th Tyler Reeves – Pen Set
Regional 6th Justin Miller – Table
Regional Honorable Mention Brock Harris – DVD

Student projects that were submitted into the MITES competition.

Popcorn and Pickles Anyone?

Demi Youngstrom — Fri, 10 May 2013 13:38:22 +0000

On the third Friday of each month, Blue Crew members pack the hallways during nutrition break, selling pickles and popcorn. Each product is sold for $1 each and it directly benefits Blue Crew and the incoming freshmen. The sale helps raise money for programs to help the freshman get a little more comfortable with the high school. The money supports new games, activities, and helps to fund special events that the blue crew members attend to get more ideas for freshmen orientation.

Samantha Speckin had this idea without having a clue on how successful it would end up being. She and a couple other students sat down with Mr. Duley and Mrs. Jockheck (Blue Crew advisors) to decide ways to raise money, she then recommended it. “I had suggested it to raise money so the incoming freshman could have a better experience at orientation,” Samantha said. So far it has been a hit, and has shocked all of the blue crew members by how popular it is.

Due to the many benefits of this sale, Samantha hopes it will continue as an annual fundraiser. “I will try my best to keep it going. After I graduate, I hope other blue crew members will step up and continue it,” Samantha said. With such a big success already, it is planned that each year it will get bigger and better. Pickles and popcorn will be sold every third Friday of the month. The carts are located at the main entrance and top of the stairs by Mrs. Swinehart’s room.